Out of all the "GOTY 2008" lists I've read, I couldn't find one that featured a "winning" game that I felt any attachment to, not even Dtoid's winner Left 4 Dead. It seems that gaming journalists are growing more and more out of touch with what makes a game not only worth playing, but also worth owning. I know a lot of the guys who write "PERFECT GAME! 10/10!" reviews for titles like GTA IV and Gears of War 2 are paid off to do so, but that doesn't change the fact that gaming reviews are growing ever less effective at helping gamers assess a game's level of objective quality.

Instead of trusting the opinions of out-of-touch, sponsored-by-the-developer game reviewers, maybe we can look to other measures to determine a game's worth? This report compiled by JJ Hendricks of Videogamepricecharts.com may be a good start, as it shows exactly which developers have the best track records for making games people want to keep, as well as a couple top ten lists charting which games have the best and worst resale values. Hit the link below for the report, and the jump for a few highlights from yours truly.

A lot of people's GOTY, GTA IV (Xbox 360) comes in at a shockingly low $20.75, which is about one third of what the game is worth new. My personal GOTY 2008, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, comes in at a respectable $30.70, about three fifths of its retail value, and Dtoid's pick, Left 4 Dead, comes in at a whopping $49.99, one of the highest of the bunch. However, none of them compare to to Wii Sports's mark-up price of $24.00, which is a hell of a lot more expensive than free.

According to Henrick's report, the overall trend is that the more "hardcore" a game is, the less it's going to be worth in the long run. Apparently "casual" gamers tend to hold onto their games for longer, presumably because they actaully value them. "Hardcore" gamers don't get as attached, which I guess means that they don't like the games that they buy as much.

So to recap, Hardcore gamers don't like games that much, and casual gamers actually value videogames. Your popcorn has been pissed in, film at a eleven.

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